We've arrived at the final destination on our journey through the 2024 MLB positional rankings and appropriately enough, we're finishing up with the best finishers in the sport: The relief pitchers slamming the doors at the end of games.
Relievers aren't the names that get top billing when it comes to marketing the sport, but when the season approaches its dramatic climax, it's likely one of them will have the fate of the World Series trophy in their hands. So even if they won't match the members of our other lists in terms of WAR or overall recognition, they merit as meticulous a ranking as anyone else.
You hear that? Our entrance song is playing. The stadium lights are out. It's time to close out these positional rankings in style.
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Injured List: Félix Bautista, Orioles
Before the ranking begins in earnest, let's pour one out for Félix Bautista. The aptly named “Mountain” is scheduled to miss all of 2024, but there was no one throwing baseballs, starter or reliever, more dominant than Bautista a year ago. He can't qualify for the list purely because of availability, but we all hope to see him back and throwing fuel again soon.
Just Missed: Ryan Helsley, Bryan Abreu, José Alvarado
Man, there are so many good relievers in Major League Baseball right now. Helsley has been one of the best closers on Earth when healthy, while Abreu and Alvarado were on the shortlist of candidates last year for best bullpen arms, period. It would be hard to blame any fans of their teams miffed by their exclusion from the top ten this time around. This is just a powerhouse group, through and through.
10. Chris Martin, Red Sox
Even if he can't repeat it in 2024, what Chris Martin did last season demands respect—respect that can only be manifested through a spot on this list. In a very solid sample of 55 appearances, Martin had a 1.05 ERA. That was not a typo, folks. He didn't allow a run after July 28. He only allowed one run after June 6! It's almost a pity the rest of the undermanned Red Sox pitching staff crumbled down the stretch, because it would have become the stuff of legend if Martin successfully continued that string of perfection through the postseason.
9. Evan Phillips, Dodgers
One of the most reliable tropes in baseball right now is fans becoming exasperated when the Dodgers pick up a reliever from their favorite team that appeared to be mediocre and turn them into prime Mariano Rivera. In 2.5 years since being claimed off waivers from the Rays, Phillips has a 1.72 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in 134 appearances. Last season, his first as a closer, he went 24-26 in save opportunities. Not bad for a former 17th-round draft pick out of UNC Wilmington.
8. David Bednar, Pirates
No one in baseball saved a higher percentage of their team's games last year than Bednar, who closed out 39 of the Pirates' 76 wins. Born and raised in the city of Pittsburgh, there may be no pitcher more deserving to of a long-awaited postseason berth for his ballclub. He'll look to once again make the Steel City proud and deliver a third straight All-Star campaign.
7. Tanner Scott, Marlins
Remember when the Marlins somehow made the playoffs with a -52 run differential, the worst in MLB history? You can thank Tanner Scott and the Miami bullpen for that. Scott led all MLB relievers with 2.8 fWAR a season ago, taking whatever tough assignments Skip Schumaker threw his way en route to 78 innings of a 2.31 ERA. And the scary thing for opposing hitters: nothing about his underlying metrics suggests that season was the slightest bit of a fluke.
6. Emmanuel Clase, Guardians
You can't have the conversation about the nastiest relievers in baseball without mentioning Emmanuel Clase, made famous by his 100+ MPH cutters who has led baseball in saves two years in a row. It was a little alarming to see a significant jump in both his ERA and FIP, but both numbers were still very good, just not the otherworldly standard he set for himself from 2021-22. Ultimately, though, Clase has proven to be a workhorse in the ninth inning and still has the upside to be the best closer in the league when he has his best stuff. He deserves a spot here in the MLB positional rankings.
5. Camilo Doval, Giants
It was a little alarming when the 2021 Giants, already shattering preseason expectations en route to a 107-win season, recalled up-and-down prospect Camilo Doval from AAA in early September and immediately saw him rip off 15 straight scoreless outings. Since then, Doval has assumed the closer's role and become one of the very best the league has to offer, tying Bednar for the National League lead in saves a year ago. Imagine one of his 102 MPH heat-seeking missiles bearing in on your hands on a frigid night by the San Francisco Bay? Yikes.
4. Jhoan Duran, Twins
Here's that Jhoan Duran entrance tonight on @SNYtv 🔥 https://t.co/AUBXd3dArS pic.twitter.com/f0dyo5vUKY
— John DeMarsico (@JohnDeMarsico) September 9, 2023
It's no exaggeration to say Duran, with his 104 MPH fastball and 100 MPH “splinker,” might just have the nastiest stuff of any pitcher in baseball history. The results absolutely back that up, plus he's developed a musical entrance that may well be the second-best in the game behind the current king, Edwin Diaz. It's going to be another fun season to watch the ninth inning at Target Field.
3. Josh Hader, Astros
You don't pay someone $95 million to pitch one inning an appearance unless they've shown they can absolutely blow opposing hitters away. Josh Hader has been in the Show since 2017 now, and in 388.2 career innings, he has a ridiculous 648 strikeouts. Already a five-time All-Star, Hader will now look to add a ring to his legacy as a member of the absolute gauntlet Houston has assembled in their 2024 bullpen.
2. Devin Williams, Brewers
Ugh. Losing one of the most dominant relievers of the past half-decade to a fractured back before the season even starts is just awful for all involved. That said, Devin Williams was reported to have been pitching through pain in that back for much of last season and hopefully, the time off allows him to come back and dominate big league bats pain-free. Bonus points for having the coolest name for any individual pitch (the Airbender) that we have in the game right now.
1. Edwin Díaz, Mets
The moment the opening beats of “Narco” hit the Citi Field speakers when Edwin Díaz comes into his first regular season game will be positively sublime. We already got a taste of it in Spring Training and there were some misty eyes in the Mets' booth. The utter mastery Díaz showed in pitching baseballs in 2022 necessitated his spot at the top of his list, even if he hasn't thrown an inning since that fateful matchup with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. And it's even possible the relieved stress on his arm after a year off from throwing high-leverage innings could do wonders for his longevity down the road. Diaz takes top spot in the MLB positional rankings here.
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